Gov Docs: Martin Luther King, Jr.: Home

Third Monday of January is the designated holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. The LibGuide was created to give background information on the man and holiday from resources in the Government Documents Collection.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Born: January 15, 1929Died: April 4, 1968

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most important voices of the American civil rights movement, which worked for equal rights for all. He was famous for using nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice, and he worked diligently to end segregation laws. He also did all he could to make people realize that "all men are created equal." Because of his great work, in 1964 King received the Nobel Peace Prize -- the youngest person ever to receive this high honor. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, when he was just 39 years old. His birthday is now observed as a national holiday on the third Monday in January.